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U of A Department of Architecture targets home affordability in new housing prototype

The U of A said the plan is to target home affordability for people making $16-18 per hour.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas (U of A) Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is showcasing an affordable housing prototype at Vol Walker Lawn.

The U of A said this prototype called Workforce 16, is being worked on by its architecture faculty and students as they "explore innovative solutions" to the increasing housing crisis.

Statistics

According to the U of A, the amount of what it costs to make a house payment versus what it costs to rent a house is the "largest [gap] in U.S. history."

This makes it "increasingly out of reach" for the majority of Americans, according to U of A. On top of that, current circumstances in the Northwest area, such as the increase in population, worsen this issue. Population growth is one of the main causes of housing costs going up significantly. 

Additionally, 47% of people living in Arkansas who have children "earn below the living wage," U of A said. Those earning less income "are being forced" to live further away from their jobs. 

The plan

Urban Design Build Studio AR Home Lab, is a project taking place in John Folan’s Urban Design Build Studio. Folan is the department head and professor of the U of A's Department of Architecture. Folan and his students are working together to bring the concept of affordable housing to life. 

The U of A said the plan for this project is to target home affordability for people making $16-18 per hour. 

According to the release, the U of A will have the prototype on the Vol Walker Lawn for a year. It will be used for workshops, and "first-time homebuyer engagement."

Folan said ideally, the prototype will serve as a "proof-of-concept" that can be used as a housing option. The U of A confirms there are already plans to build three of these homes in Fayetteville by this fall. 

About the house

The house has a center of "roughly 500 square feet," The U of A said. It has "an additional 700 square feet" around it to allow for expansion "as income or family size increases the need for more space."

Folan said this project is to address a social need. “The idea is to give people a start at wealth building through home ownership," said Folan. 

Credit: Fay Jones School of Architecture UA
Affordable housing prototype on Vol Walker Lawn

Materials

The U of A said the house uses Wave Layered Timber (WLT), which according to makeplacer.com, is "a new, glue-free wooden construction technique." The website said it is an "ecological, economical" alternative and is "relatively low-cost and requires simple tooling." 

The U of A describes the use of WLT saying it has a "distinctive wave profile" that lets them "fit snuggly together." This method speeds up the construction time, The U of A said.  

Unlike other timber, WLT is not nailed together. The U of A explains it is "ratcheted together with metal rods," without damaging it as much, allowing for "future reuse."

To learn more about WLT, click here

The study

According to Folan, the things that most affect the cost of a home are lumber, labor and land.

Three things that will be considered during the build are: 

  1. How long it takes to assemble
  2. How much labor is involved 
  3. The cost of materials (which can fluctuate)

Folan said improvements will be made to the house as needed to either speed up the construction time or reduce costs. Another thing students will be studying is how the weather impacts the structure year-round. 

“The construction of the full-scale mock-up proved very successful,” Folan said. Recent constructions that were tested at the lab "proved to be easy targets for labor efficiency," the Folan said. 

Architecture Student, Madden Herring helped with the construction of the home. 

“It’s kind of redefining housing. Being able to use the new technology and opportunity for hands-on learning is an amazing experience,” said Herring.  

U of A Dean Peter MacKeith said this design serves a universal need. 

"This multitalented, constructive approach characterizes our strategic activity in the world beyond the university, through design emphases in housing, mass timber, health and wellness, community building and resiliency,” said MacKeith. 

If you’ve been on campus recently you may have noticed a small house-like structure on the north lawn of Vol Walker Hall. Architecture faculty and students are using the space to explore innovative solutions to a growing housing crunch in Arkansas and across the country. The structure is a project by the Urban Design Build Studio. John Folan, a professor and head of the Architecture Department, is working with students to explore ways to create affordable homes. The prototype, called Workforce 16, outside Vol Walker Hall represents several of the core design features that have emerged over the course of four semesters of research and problem-solving. The home employs a new form of mass timber called Wave Layered Timber (or WLT). These boards emerge from the planer with a distinctive wave profile that allows them to fit snuggly together and accelerates construction time while also allowing for future reuse. As such, they aren’t nailed into place, but rather ratcheted together with metal rods, mitigating damage to the wood. WLT equipment and technology are being licensed from the Finnish company WLT Capital Oy. The prototype will be on the lawn for a year, where it will be utilized for job skill training workshops and first-time homebuyer engagement. More information: https://news.uark.edu/articles/69120/affordable-housing-prototype-showcased-on-vol-walker-lawn#

Posted by Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design on Wednesday, January 17, 2024

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